Journalists threatened in sectarian violence in Burma

Bangkok,
March 25, 2013--Violent mobs have threatened journalists covering communal riots
in central Burma and destroyed their reporting materials, according to news
reports. The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on authorities to make the
security of journalists working in the violence-hit area a top priority.

Clashes
between Buddhist and Muslim residents erupted in the central town of Meikhtila
on March 20, resulting in at least 32 deaths, dozens of injuries, and an
unknown number of arson attacks, according to news reports. On Friday,
President Thein Sein declared a state of emergency that gave the military
exceptional powers to contain the fighting. The Associated Press reported that
the sectarian violence had spread to two other townships in central Burma over
the weekend.

Journalists
working for local and foreign news agencies were confronted by weapon-wielding
mobs, some led by Buddhist monks, that blocked them from reporting on the
riots. Radio Free Asia reported on
Friday that a group of armed Buddhist monks threatened a group of nine
journalists, including one of its reporters, who were photographing monks as
they damaged a mosque. The monks put a knife to one journalist's throat and
seized and destroyed the memory cards from two reporters' digital cameras, the
report said. The journalists were eventually allowed to seek refuge in a nearby
Buddhist monastery, from where they were later evacuated by police.

The
Democratic Voice
of Burma,
an independent TV broadcaster and online news provider, reported that
sword-wielding rioters threatened one of its reporters and deleted footage from
his camera. The Associated
Press
reported that a Buddhist monk who covered his face placed a foot-long dagger at
the throat of an AP reporter and demanded he hand over his camera. The AP
report said the photographer handed over his camera's memory card.

There
have been no reports yet of any journalists being killed or seriously injured
in the violence, according to CPJ research. Some journalists have decided
to leave the city due to their concerns that authorities could not guarantee
their personal security, according to The Irrawaddy, an independent
Burmese-run news magazine. The publication
also reported that rioters had threatened one of its reporters and forced him
to delete his footage of the violence.

"We
condemn the threats and intimidation of journalists covering the recent
communal riots in Burma," said Shawn Crispin, CPJ's senior Southeast Asia
representative. "Authorities are obliged to ensure the security of journalists
working in conflict areas. We are concerned that Thein Sein's administration
has not prioritized its obligation to protect the press."

News
agency photographs of the violence in Meikhtila published over the Internet
have included images of smoldering burnt bodies in public streets and victims
who appear to have been bound before they were killed.

News
coverage of communal riots between Buddhists and Muslims in western Rakhine
State last year showed that Buddhist monks were often involved in the violence
that left 180 killed and over 110,000 displaced. Government officials claimed
that irresponsible news coverage, including the use of racially charged
language and graphic photographs, fanned the flames of that conflict.